The invention is directed to an electrical connector (for electricity, voice, data, or any combination thereof) that is adapted and configured for use in combination with modular office panels.
Modular office panels, that is, xe2x80x9ccubicles,xe2x80x9d have become an ubiquitous staple of American business place design. Whether in an effort to maximize the efficient use of office space, to foster a sense of xe2x80x9cteam,xe2x80x9d to remove psychological barriers between management and labor, or to minimize hierarchical divisions within the work force, the use of semi-private office cubicles (as opposed to private offices) has blossomed over the last 20 years.
At the same time, the use of a wide range of electronic equipment has also blossomed. Whereas 50 years ago, a secretary might only have a manual typewriter at his or her desk, today""s executive assistant (as well as the executive proper) might have as many as ten (or more) electrically-powered machines within arm""s reach: a computer, a multi-line telephone, a fax machine, a modem, a color printer, a draft black and white printer, and (just maybe), an electric typewriter. In the cramped confines of an office cubicle, not only does this large collection of equipment take up much-needed space, the jungle of wires required to power and connect all of these devices makes many work places appear to be constantly under construction, even when they aren""t. Thus, there remains a long-felt and unmet need for an electrical connector-panel combination that can be placed where it is needed, that can be moved at will, and that does not require holes to be cut into the modular panels.